Shloka 8
Drupada’s Instruction to the Purohita for the Kaurava Embassy (द्रुपदोपदेशः दूतप्रेषणम्)
न कस्याज्चिदवस्थायां राज्यं दास्यन्ति वै स्वयम् । उन सबने मिलकर धर्मराज युधिष्ठिरको ठगा है। अब वे किसी भी अवस्थामें स्वयं राज्य नहीं लौटायेंगे ।। भवांस्तु धर्मसंयुक्तं धृतराष्ट्रं ब्रुवन् वच:
na kasyacid avasthāyāṁ rājyaṁ dāsyanti vai svayam | te sarve militvā dharmarājaṁ yudhiṣṭhiraṁ ṭhagitavantaḥ | adya te kasyāṁcid api avasthāyāṁ svayaṁ rājyaṁ na pratyāhariṣyanti || bhavāṁs tu dharmasaṁyuktaṁ dhṛtarāṣṭraṁ bruvan vacaḥ |
«En aucune circonstance ils ne remettront d’eux-mêmes le royaume. Unis, ils ont trompé Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira ; et désormais, en nulle situation, ils ne rendront de leur plein gré la souveraineté. Aussi dois-tu t’adresser à Dhṛtarāṣṭra avec des paroles fondées sur le dharma.»
दुपद उवाच
Educational Q&A
When injustice is entrenched and the wrongdoers refuse voluntary restitution, one must still pursue a dharma-grounded response: speak truthfully, appeal to righteousness, and seek lawful restoration rather than abandoning ethical restraint.
Drupada assesses the Kaurava side as unwilling to return the kingdom after having deceived Yudhiṣṭhira, and he urges that Dhṛtarāṣṭra be addressed with dharmic, principled speech—framing the coming negotiations in moral terms.